How to Get Rid of Florida Carpenter Ants

Getting Rid of Florida Carpenter Ants

• Fix leaks and wet spots first. Check under sinks, around the water heater, at AC condensate lines and along window frames. Damp wood and wet insulation are what draw these ants into a house.
• Keep branches, vines and palm fronds from touching the roof and walls. Workers also climb onto houses along power, cable and phone lines, so trim back anything that gives them an easy path to the attic or eaves.
• Seal cracks and openings on the outside of the house, especially where pipes, wires and vents pass through.
• Stack firewood, lumber and scrap wood well away from the walls and up off the ground.
• Pull mulch back a few inches from the foundation and remove old stumps or rotting landscape timbers near the house.
• Check door frames, sills and trim for soft wood, small holes or little piles of wood shavings mixed with insect parts.

The surest way to end an infestation is to treat the nest itself, because that is where the queen, eggs, larvae and most of the workers stay. Nests are often hidden in a wall, under insulation or in a tree, so finding one takes patience. Following ants with a flashlight after dark is often the best way to track them home. Once you find the nest, a small, targeted application right into it works better than heavy spraying nearby. Too much product around the outside of a nest can simply push the colony to move somewhere else.

When the nest can’t be reached, bait is the next option. Place a bait labeled for carpenter ants along their trails and follow the label. Workers carry it home and share it, which spreads it through the colony. Florida carpenter ants can be picky, so try a sweet bait and a protein bait and see which one they take. Do not spray near bait, because that keeps ants away from it. Controlling aphids, scale insects and mealybugs on nearby plants also cuts off much of their food. If ants are still showing up after a few weeks, Florida Bug Control can find the nest during a free inspection and set up a treatment plan.